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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fall — to drop
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mug — a face
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ground — the earth
  10. craft — boats
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. clip — a video
  15. cue — a signal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. craft — a skill
  20. fall — the season
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com